


An Unforgiving Future

by AetherRose



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Angst, Angst and Feels, Character Death, Kidnapping, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28613145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AetherRose/pseuds/AetherRose
Summary: Two Sides. Five People. One Gunshot.That's all it took for the world to take away everything that Daichi Sawamura loved — his precious family, his closest friends, the ones he considered brothers. After everything, the pounding ring of a bullet leaving its gun was the one to end it all. Each cut, each strike, each emotional blow, it's all come down to this.
Kudos: 2





	An Unforgiving Future

**Author's Note:**

> ~ Modelled after a v e r y long roleplay with my friends and their respective characters. ^^ ~
> 
> \- Daichi, Tendou, Bokuto and Yamaguchi are long-time friends from high school and have the tightest brotherly bond out of the rings of friends that came out of high school.  
> \- Daichi and Tendou went on to join the police force. Bokuto and Akaashi, however, ended up playing their cards with the Yakuza instead. In a fragile grey area of both, Yamaguchi teeters between different sides of his sanity, torn between two of his families.
> 
> \- For context, if you'd like to read it, a huge fight just broke out between the two in a dusty abandoned warehouse. Akaashi shot mercilessly at Tendou, planting a bullet right in the other's chest. Yamaguchi, in a flash of rage, threw a knife directly into Akaashi's throat — both of them stand at Death's door.

The room seemed to breathe, shaking heavily with each long breath and sighing silently. Cold air suffocated the room as five figures sat silently, wallowed in their own emotions. Among those five… two of them laid cold, in hands that were unable to say goodbye, filled with intense regret.

After the gunshot that shook their world, Tendou’s chest stopped rising. His heart stopped beating. He lay, unconscious — no… he lay, dead. In the arms of the brothers, silently shaking him and wishing the deathly paleness out of his body. “T-ten…?” Daichi’s voice came out as a shaky whisper, almost invisible and lost to the chilly air. “Hey, wake up man… I- I’ll do anything…” He pleaded with the body he was holding, shaking it more.

Desperation filled his eyes, anything, please, anything that could show signs of life; but nothing happened. Nothing came up. Cold. Shattering. That was his world, in that precise moment. “Ten, please, just… I’ll go back in time and make sure you won, so that you could play some more… You… you can sit on my centaur self as much as you want, just— Ten, please, just…” The tears that rolled down his cheeks clouded his vision, blotches of red indiscernible and starting to all look the same. He knew. He knew, he knew it all; he simply didn’t want to believe any of it. Tendou was gone. 

The pain was excruciating, it hurt more than any kind of physical pain could. Yamaguchi stood over the two with trembling hands, memories replaying in his head. Each memory, a jewel. Precious, shining gems stolen by the hands of cruel time, leaving a sour taste in everybody’s mouths.

~ — — ~

A laugh echoed through a vast field — a butterfly, freely fluttering through the endless skies. The sound of bells, joy, ringing through the air. A canvas of paintings, each one precious in its own right. Laughter, dreams, fights and hugs. Friendship. The grass swayed like dancers gracefully sweeping through waves of music, sounds of melancholy peace stretching as far as you could hear. 

Can you count the years that you’ve been with friends..? Each memory of them, big or small, is painted on a canvas in your mind. There are times when, in an instant, time freezes and the museum of the mind is unlocked. For each person, their museums are different. For Yamaguchi… he wished to travel the joyful plains of life once more with his friends.  
The wind picked up, petals being swept up into the air as tears descended downwards into the welcoming earth. ‘Do not weep for us, for we will not come back.’ It was a simple truth, painted in invisible ink across each canvas — only visible under the light of the new moon, promising new beginnings to those who walk under it. Freckles and green hair strode by each painting, taking each in, observing them carefully for as long as time froze for him. 

“I didn’t get to say goodbye…” He whispered down to the ground, raising his head to look up at them smiling as though they were all happy. Now, knowing the truth and knowing the loss, each smile seemed to pierce his heart even more. The wind picked up ferociously, scattering the leaves and canvases in a whirlwind of air. Yamaguchi desperately reached out, but the whirlwind of emotions swept everything away, clouding everything. Time picked up once more.

~ — — ~

The two were silent, choking out both quiet and loud sobs. The green-haired man put a hand on Daichi’s arm, rubbing it comfortingly. His eyes gazed down at the still Tendou, tears welling up even more in his eyes. It hurt to see his friend, his brother lay like that. And yet, he knew… he also caused another’s death. Another of his precious family, caught in the crossfire and taken by his own hands.

Bokuto looked on with empty eyes, widening with each passing second. Everything happened in a singular moment of darkness — the bullet that ended Tendou’s life. The knife that was close to ending Akaashi’s. The silence was all encompassing. His mind freezing, his breathing slowing to a shallow inhale. “...” Not a single word escaped his mouth. Not a sarcastic or joking reply, not a teasing yet cruel remark, not even a small whimper. Akkashi was dying. Right in front of him. “Aka… shi…?”

One step led to another. The footsteps that his heart took beat in his head like a deafening drum. His gun dropped to the floor along with the fragmented pieces of his walking heart as he knelt down beside the raven-haired male. “Y-you’re… gods, can I- I can…” His head pleaded in every possible way, even though he knew that it was a lost cause. He couldn’t help him, and that was a fact. Comments of weakness berated him in his head, each mental statement a jab that hit his weak points.

Akaashi shook his head, the knife that Yamaguchi threw still lodged in his neck. It hurt, gods it hurt, but he knew that it was nothing compared to what Bokuto may be feeling. Strands of hair stuck to his face as he tried to speak, though the knife prevented him from even making a sound. “Do.. n’t… c… ry..” He raised a hand, feeling the strength seeping out of him.

~ — — ~

That day rang out in Akaashi’s mind, every day. Not a single moment went by without him being reminded of everything, all the reasons why he was here now. Bokuto’s family, his sisters, parents, getting killed in nothing but cold blood. The blood splattered across the walls… Bokuto’s terrified, golden eyes. He reached out, but realized his voice couldn’t make it past the high-rise walls that Bokuto has created around his mind, his heart.

The day that the two cried, holding each other like they were all that was left in each other's minds. In each other’s lives. That day, he saw Bokuto, the shining star of his life, break down into pieces trying desperately to keep each piece together. 

That day, Bokuto resolved to throw everything away, to climb the ranks of the Yakuza. To try to feel whole again, taking the lives of others in the hopes that it will fill the small void in his chest. Akaashi watched as he broke, slowly, but surely. The pain, the suffering, he saw everything behind the man’s mask of power and bloodlust.

And so, that day, he himself resolved to follow Bokuto without question. As Bokuto was the sun in his sky, he would be the guiding stars that would show him the way through every darkness. He was his partner… he was his love. To leave him alone would hurt him more than anything, more than choosing to kill, more than being tattooed and branded. He learnt about guns, he got his first desert eagle only a few months after he joined. Bokuto, meanwhile, learned martial arts. Together, the two were the most revered and high ranking assassins of the Yakuza — the bird that screeches in the night, and his eerie moonlit song. Together, they would have been unstoppable. 

~ — — ~

Akaashi was going to die, and he knew it. The only thing that gave him strength at that moment was Bokuto’s liquidy golden eyes, staring down at him. ‘Emotion…’ His eyes welled up with silent tears, widening at Bokuto’s expression — ‘That was… emotion…’ 

He wanted to say sorry. He wanted to say thank you. He wanted to say everything in the world, but he couldn’t. So, he did the one thing that he could do. Slowly, his hand reached up to poke Bokuto’s cheek. The other blinked in surprise, reaching his own hand up to meet it. But before that could happen, Akaashi’s hand quickly moved to the knife and pulled it out, fully knowing the consequences of his actions.

“S… rry… Ko… u…” Blood poured out of his throat like a crimson river. Bokuto’s eyes widened in fear as he quickly tried to cover it up with his hands, tears he didn’t know were building up suddenly flowing down his cheeks.

“No, no no no, please, Akaashi no..!” His cries were silent, a mere whisper in the cold air of the dusty room. His hands shook as Akaashi’s eyes slowly fluttered to a close, a peaceful yet regretful smile on his face. 

‘I’m sorry, Kou, for not being with you for longer . . .’

As Akaashi’s body fell limp, the paleness of death taking over, Bokuto grew silent. He gritted his teeth together, forcing down any sobs that may have come out. For the first time in what seemed like years, he felt something. Pain. Sorrow. Emotion.

Yamaguchi’s eyes trailed up to the two of them, guilt racking his body. His mind didn’t want to believe it, yet his eyes told him otherwise. He killed somebody, and it had to be Akaashi. More guilt bubbled in his heart as he recalled memories of the three, growing close to them. Sitting down on the roof of the very warehouse where they all sat, talking about life.   
Pain didn’t lose its hold on Daichi either. Despite the betrayal, despite the pain that the two gave him and Tendou, they were still family. Regardless of everything, they were his brothers over everything else. Their deaths… hurt.

Tears blurred everything. The dreary warehouse only grew colder the more time they spent there, stars rising in the horizon unbeknownst to them. 

~ — — ~

“Hey, do you think that we could get a pet?” Bokuto leaned forwards, resting his chin on his knee careful to stay balanced on the metal rooftop.

“You know that you can’t, Kou,” Akaashi’s voice rung through the air as he turned to his side to gaze at the pepper-haired male. “Boss’ rules, we can’t disobey them.” A sigh escaped his mouth, mentally reprimanding the two for suggesting something that they all knew was an impossible decision.

Yamaguchi stretched his arms up in the air, leaning backwards slightly and letting his legs swing over the edge of the roof. “Awww, c’mon! A puppy would be nice, don’t you think?” His eyes met the starry sky, glimmering like city lights. “Plus, if we don’t tell Boss, he won’t know, right?” As he laid back onto the roof, his arms making contact with the metal sheets as he rested his head on them like a pillow, he looked to the side to face both Akaashi and Bokuto.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Bokuto laughed, leaning back as well to observe the night sky. Akaashi merely let out another exasperated sigh and laid down to join the other two.  
“It sounds terrible… I’m in.” The others let out a small cheer, each pumping an arm in the air with wide smiles on their faces. “So, a puppy it is?”

“Yeah, yeah!!” Bokuto beamed, his eyes glimmering.

“But what should we name it?” Yamaguchi asked, tilting his head to the side, letting long locks of his hair obstruct his eyes.

“Hmmm…” The larger man turned, adjusting his arms to be more comfortable in the new position. “What about… Aster?” At the sound of the familiar name, a smile grew on his face. It was the familiar name of their friend’s precious kingdom, with a few modifications, of course. To him, it sounded perfect for a puppy name.

“Aster, huh..?” Yamaguchi’s head tilted once more, in the opposite direction. “I love it!! And I get where it’s from~.” His smile reached his ears, recalling precious memories from that time.

Akaashi smiled as well, though he didn’t have as close a bond to the others in the realm of royalty. His memories, however, were just as fond. “So, when should we get it?” A small moment of silence enveloped the three as he thought, “Actually, how about… hmm, tomorrow? If we get it tomorrow, Boss shouldn’t know.” The other two nodded enthusiastically, whooping into the air and chanting puppy-related sentences. He chuckled, watching the two happy.

~ — — ~

Nothing happened. The two parties simply sat, wallowing in silence and grief. The limp bodies of Tendou and Akaashi lay in Daichi and Bokuto’s respective arms. Bokuto was the first one to break the painful silence, his voice ringing through the air. “... just go.” It wasn’t commanding. Nor was it teasing. It was simply pained. As much as he wanted to chase them, to stop them from leaving… he just couldn’t. Not after this, not after losing everything.

Dai quivered at the two words. They echoed through his head, chasing after him. ‘Just go.’ Everything stopped once more. The pain, the hurt… it slowly turned into sheer anger as his grip on Tendou tightened. 

With darkness shadowing his eyes, he passed the deathly pale Tendou onto Yamaguchi who stared at him, confused. Then, he stood up and reached for Yamaguchi’s gun that had dropped onto the ground nearby. Turning to face Bokuto, his eyes flashed with emotion akin to fury.

“Go? Just… go?” He took a step forward, that step resounding throughout the dusty room. “You expect us to just go? After what, torturing us, hurting us, mentally, physically?!” With each sentence, his voice grew louder and he stepped closer to Bokuto. “After every goddamn thing you’ve done to us, you think you can just dismiss us, just like THAT?!?”  
The sentence made Bokuto flinch, surprising even himself. By the time that Dai was done shouting, he was standing in front of Bokuto. Without hesitation, he lifted the gun’s barrel to the man’s head. Bokuto didn’t move. He didn’t try to escape — for once, he accepted that he’s lost. However, before Dai pulled the trigger, his expression softened and his grip did as well.

“I… hope you get to be with Akaashi again.” Bokuto froze, everything about him seemed to freeze. With those words, his carefully crafted wall seemed to crumble down to dust. He stopped trying to hold back his sobs, letting his tears freely flow down his face. “If you see Ten… try to give him a hug for us. I’m doing you a favour, and you know that too.”

Bokuto managed a slight nod, not letting his eyes drift away from Akaashi’s blood-stained face. “Maybe next time, don’t kick me in the balls, you bastard.” That line made him chuckle softly, his head shaking like his hands were. “Just know… I forgive you. Until we meet again, in the next life… brother.” And so, Daichi pulled the trigger.

The shot was loud and quick, the bullet shell falling to the ground with a quiet clang. Suddenly, everything blacked out for Bokuto. It wasn’t the death that he feared so much, a death consumed by anger, hatred, regret. No, it was more… peaceful. Unexpectedly peaceful. He resolved never to have regrets since he joined the Yakuza — no, younger. When he started to play volleyball. Akaashi decided to follow him and stand by him, which he was forever grateful for. Not having that support anymore… it wasn’t something he could stand.

No words came. He didn’t get the chance to speak. He killed; he was killed. It was due time that it happened, and he was glad that it was at the hands of a trusted friend rather than some enemy from a rivaling gang. His body fell, still protectively cradling Akaashi in its arms. The smile on his face wasn’t one of cruelty, nor was it forced. It was real.

Daichi dropped the gun, hearing it clatter to the floor as he fell to his knees. Sobs racked through his body, unable to keep himself together anymore. His family surrounded him, people that he spent days with laughing and fighting. They made him happy. They gave him the life that he’d grown to love.

All of their family stood dead, right before their eyes. Yamaguchi felt sick, seeing all of the familiar yet distant death around him and watching the one that led him for so long suddenly drop to his knees with a loud sob. His stomach twisted, mind utterly conflicted. “D-dai..? I- I don’t think I can do this anymore, I-” He clapped a hand over his mouth, carefully placing Tendou down. He slowly stood up and walked away towards a door — the storage room, to be exact. 

“Yama…” Despite still being weak to his own grief, Daichi turned around to watch the younger man, confused by his actions. Grabbing a few things, Yamaguchi’s feet made their way up a thin, shaky ladder to the familiar flat roof that he, Akaashi and Bokuto used to sit on. “Y-yama..?!” Daichi quickly shot up, following the other to the roof.

Yamaguchi didn’t even bother to turn as Daichi shot after him, a knife reflecting the moonlight off his hands. His feet stop at the edge of the rooftop as he faces the near yet far skyline of the city, cars honking and passing by, tires screeching on the roads below. The slight breeze made his hair dance around his face, the familiar scene somewhat bringing his mind at ease. 

Daichi approached slowly, raising a hand to the man. “Yama, step away from the edge and we’ll talk…” He pleaded with him, voice shaking. Gods, he couldn’t stand another casualty, he knew that he was trying to stand strong. One more death, and he could lose himself. “I know that it hurts, I know, fuck it hurts so much, but please- just step back and look at me…”

A chilling voice pierced the air, “Why are we still here… why did we have to survive this?!? Why did I have to survive this?!” His voice was filled with nothing but despair and pain as he clutched the knife at his side, giving him white knuckles. “Bo and I always joked about who would die first, now look at where we are. If I could trade my life for theirs, I would do it in a heartbeat.” That sentence made Daichi’s heart sink as he desperately took another step towards Yamaguchi. “If I could trade my life for Ten’s… I would do it in a heartbeat.”  
Daichi was nervous as all hell, his mind running at full speed at how to get Yamaguchi away from the edge. Despite that panic, he tried his hardest to remain calm on the outside. “Step back Yama… come back to me, please…” 

Another chilling laugh escaped into the cool air as Yamaguchi gazed hard at Daichi. “Why should I, hmm? Ten is gone. Akaashi is gone. Bo is gone… Tsukki might as well be gone too. Everyone is dying and I’ve tried to stay strong for too long. Let me get what I deserve.” With each sentence, his voice hardened like steel, progressively getting louder and louder. “If they don’t get to be alive, why should I?!? I haven’t done anything right in so long, I’m a lost cause, just like you fucking said!” And with that, he raised the knife and pressed it hard against his neck, close to drawing blood.

Daichi started to panic even more at the sight, his calm demeanour slowly cracking. “Y-you aren’t a lost cause… nobody is truly a lost cause, I- I was hurting and I wasn’t thinking straight.” Tears poured down as he took another step towards the green-haired man, reaching out more as if he stretched out enough, he could reach him. “P-please, put the knife down…”

“I SAID STAY BACK!!” The knife that Yamaguchi held pressed further into his neck, drawing blood. Daichi’s face paled at the sight, growing more desperate by the second. “Give me one good reason to stay. One.” He started to list every negative, every possible outcome for staying alive. Being in prison. Being chased by the Yakuza. An absolute hell called life.  
Daichi took a deep breath and let it out with a long exhale. “Yama… Ten wasn’t ready to die. Akaashi wasn’t ready to die. And had Akaashi lived…” He swallowed, “Bo wasn’t ready either. We have to live. If not for ourselves, then for them. For those that were taken away early and were robbed every future prospect of happiness. For those who never got to marry, have a honeymoon, have kids... for those who barely got to grow up.”

Time slowed as the stars glimmered above. Yamaguchi stood, taking in Daichi’s words. And he recalled all of his precious memories with his family, with his fiance, with his best friends. They… would want him alive. No matter what. ‘Dammit, why is he always like this…’ He let out a small, breathy chuckle as the knife fell from his hands to the ground with a metallic clang. He threw himself at Daichi, his grip not faltering as he cried into the other’s chest. 

Daichi caught hold of him and wrapped his own arms around his kouhai, bunching up his shirt as he pulled the other closer to him. “I’ve got you, you’re okay…” Tears freely flowed down his face as Daichi stroked the back of his head. 

The two shook, holding each other in warmth as they both muttered comforting words to each other, trying to fill the empty void that their dead family left behind in them. For a long while, the two stood there, crying into each other's shoulders. “L-let’s get you off this roof, yeah…” Daichi let out a small laugh, pulling away ever so slightly to look at Yamaguchi’s puffy eyes, which were red and swollen from crying.

Yamaguchi simply nodded, raising an arm to wipe away whatever tears came. With that, Daichi gripped onto Yamaguchi’s elbow and started to lead him away from the edge, carefully and quickly. “We’ll be alright… y-yeah, we’ll be fine, ri—”

Just at that moment, Yamaguchi’s foot landed on the knife that he’d dropped. The gleaming silver caused him to slip as the sound of cars overtook both of their hearing. Or perhaps, it was the sound of their memories flashing through their minds as Yamaguchi fell over the edge, his back crashing on the edge and sending him over to the ground below.  
The cry that Daichi let out rung in empty air, desperately reaching out for his arm, his hand, anything— before the slow realization hit him like a truck. 

2 minutes ago, Yamaguchi was ready to jump.  
1 minute ago, he convinced him not to.  
45 seconds ago, Yamaguchi begged him to not let go.   
30 seconds ago, he promised Yamaguchi that he was never going to let go.   
15 seconds ago... Yamaguchi’s body hit the ground.

It all went by like a flurry, too fast for the mind to comprehend. In those two minutes… he lost another friend. Another brother. His body slowly slid onto the rooftop floor, his knees weak and giving out. The man’s head hung low, eyes empty and devoid of emotion, as though all life had simply decided to slip out into the now cold and chilly air. He shivered, unsure of whether it was due to the cold or because of the sight he just witnessed.

Everything rushed through him, a river of nothing but pain, grief, sorrow, regret. Everything that you could think of, he felt in that moment as he doubled over, head in his hands. His screams and sobs deafened him as, soon enough, he was unable to hear his own voice through the loud thumping of his heart, the screeching of tires, the sound of cars honking their horns through busy traffic.

All that he lived for… his family, friends, trusted brothers, comrades… it was all lost, just like that. Time didn’t wait. It waited for no-one, mercilessly moving on despite those that stand still. 

~ — — ~

Perhaps, there will be a day when we’re all happy. Perhaps, one day, we can all laugh together again. Perhaps, just maybe… we can be family once more.

Tendou stretched his arms out towards Yamaguchi, waiting. Behind him, Bokuto stood with Akaashi in his own arms with a sad smile, his eyes clearly glassy from tears. 

Perhaps, we can reunite… in another world, in another life.

Yamaguchi stood, gazing down at his body. ‘That’s… me…?’ He thought, before taking notice of familiar outstretched arms. The boy turned, now facing painfully familiar smiling, peaceful faces. And without hesitation, he launched himself into Tendou’s arms with a small giggle. Tendou ruffled the boy’s hair as Bokuto laughed in the background, placing a small kiss on Akaashi’s head.

“I’m finally free…” He whispered, looking up at Tendou. “Free?” Tendou playfully tilted his head, ruffling the other’s more. “That you are, buddy~.” His eyes glanced up to the roof, and everybody else’s eyes followed. “You did your best with what you could y’know? I hope you're proud, genuinely,” he hummed, rubbing Yamaguchi’s arm affectionately. “Him and your mister vanilla. The rest— they’ll be okay. You can rest now.”

Yamaguchi let out a low hum as he slowly closed his eyes, comfortable in the familiar warmth of his family around him. 

~ — — ~

A gentle breeze blew as the night sky glimmered with beautiful light, notes of a piano drifting off into the distance. The syncopated beats of everybody's hearts beating together filled their ears, grassy fields surrounding them as far as the eye could see. Perhaps, their wish could come true. That one day, they could all meet and laugh once more. Whether that takes a few thousand years, billions of years or even eons is up to the hands of fate and time. 

Though it can get tangled, knotted or even lost amongst the millions of people, the red thread of fate will never be severed or cut. No matter how long it takes or how brutal the path is, the red thread connects all that needs to be connected. Bells of hope ring through the air as the moon shines its guiding light upon a group of travellers, shielding their eyes from its grace. They take notice of each other, blinking in curiosity.

“Who are you?”


End file.
